Such a wonderful read. Very deep and thought provoking while still being a classic rom-com. Although not my normal genre, I feel like this book put a new spin on standard happily ever after and I'm so glad I read it.

Sadie is a character you love almost immediately. You empathize with all of the trouble that comes her way while rooting for her to take life by the wheel and just drive. I cannot imagine dealing with the life altering experiences that she handles, but the Katherine Center does a wonderful job of explaining this world perspective to someone who cannot understand all of the implications. Joe is a wonderful character that I would love to be my boyfriend if I already didn't have a husband :-)

I knew how the pieces fit together earlier on, but consistently wondered how the story was going to bring all of the pieces together. It did bring them together and you couldn't help but smile and cheer when they fit perfectly in place.

I'd recommend this book to not only those that enjoy rom-com, but also any fiction because I think it is a great story that can be enjoyed by most.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in return for a voluntary review.

Okay so... damn. This book was really good. Like, really good. To the point that I demolished this book in about 4.5 hours. I want to review this without giving any spoilers away which is going to be tough, but here we go:

- Center's writing is brilliant. It's engaging, easy to follow whilst building/delivering the story brilliantly. Her plot was unique in the midst of many contemporary romance books that are currently coming out which usually follow or include a certain set of tropes. The faceblindness plot...unexpected but brilliant, and I also like how it wasn't just a quick fix "oh I had it and then I don't" scenario.

- I really enjoyed the FMC. She had a dark cloud over her for a lot of the story but I think I would to had I been in that situation, but I enjoyed reading how she started to view the world in a different light, focusing on things that a lot of us take for granted.

-The MMC(s) I LOVED. They play a huge part in the plot and the plot twist.

-The last chapter I was sitting here like "WHAAAAT" ...IN A GOOD WAY. I really don't want to give anything away, but I approve.

The epilogue... It was nice to see in the future as all epilogues do but I think it would have hit a powerful punch without it.

Either way, this was a great read, one of my favourite so far of 2023 which I know it's only Feb but I *have* already read 62 books so it has decent merit. I look forward to reading more from Center in the future!

Another winner from Katherine Center! I love the way she writes her characters - I feel like they think and talk the same way I do so they're really relatable. This story was super enjoyable and cute and I really enjoyed reading it. The MC was kind of frustrating in her refusal to ask for help but I think that was also really relatable. Overall, super enjoyable and what a fun plot twist! 4/5 for me

This is my very first Katherine Center book, despite multiple of them being on my bookshelf.

Sadie, who has to have brain surgery, develops prosopagnosia, which changes her ability to see faces. Sadie meets a sweet veterinarian (who she claims as her future husband before their first date), who stands her up…. During the same time she is falling for a guy, Joe, that lives in her building,. She breaks up with the veterinarian and then Joe ghosts her. Imagine her surprise when it turns out they are one and the same person, Sadie just didn’t know because she could never see his face. This book also mixes in some family trauma/drama.

What a phenomenal concept, along with stellar writing. I read this in an afternoon and I’m so sad it’s over. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this amazing book! I am going to pull the rest of Katherine’s books off my bookshelf to devour this weekend!

ARC received from NetGalley

Ok I loved this book! I hadn't read any of Katherine Center's books before, but they are definitely going on the TBR now. I've read my fair share of romance books recently, but the plot to this one was very unique. It also let me nerd out a bit as "face blindness" was a diagnosis I encountered during my clinical work in a hospital!

So quick plot rundown - Sadie is a struggling artist who after an accident is required to have brain surgery. Following the surgery, she encounters a medical complication known as "face blindness", which means she's unable to recognize faces. Highly stressful for anyone, but even more so for a portrait artist with a huge project due. Add in some family drama, an evil step-sister, a bit of love triangle (not really, but can't get into this without spoilers). mental health representation, and you've got a story! I could tell I was going to enjoy the book as soon as I started, but the more I read, the more I fell in love with everything. This book had me feeling butterflies one minute to tears the next. There is also a final reveal at the end of the book that had me grinning like a crazy person - it was perfection.

Tropes: light reverse grumpy X sunshine, miscommunication

TWs: death of a parent, cheating (not MMC or FMC), suicide (mentioned, not part of current plot)

You're in for a treat !

It's not my first Katherine Center book but it's by far my favourite! The beginning is a bit slow but after that you have depth of character, positivity and authenticity, interesting themes like grief, acceptance, finding joy...
A good 4,5 for me !

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Hello Stranger
by Katherine Center
Published: St. Martin's Press

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the ARC.
Love Katherine Center's books. When I first started reading this book I was not very fond of Sadie and her personality. But typical KC books you (me) change your perspective
of the main character. I enjoyed reading about Sadie and watching her grow as she had to navigate through that short period of her life after being diagnosed with Prosopagnosia.
Really enjoyed reading about Peanut but did need more Peanut time ha.
I highly recommend this book!

4.5/5 stars! This book was so incredibly unique, I couldn't stop reading. |loved the plot and the main character Sadie. One of my favorite books in the world, Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven, also has a character with face blindness so I was instantly drawn into this book.
While not to disregard the struggles that come along with face blindness, this book somehow makes it's extremely romantic in that it's rooted in falling for someone or getting to know someone for who they truly are. To know someone so deeply you don't even have to know what they look like, you don't have to see their face to recognize them - you just intrinsically know them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found Sadie incredibly relatable and real. I read this book in a few hours it was so entertaining!

Sadie is an artist, more importantly she is a portrait artist, so her life is thrown into complete turmoil when a freak incident leaves her lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a condition known as ‘face blindness’. Is this permanent or temporary? No one is sure, but Sadie must figure out how to navigate her life and relationships while dealing with her new reality.

This story features a beloved pet, dysfunctional and toxic family relationships, and a fun and slightly quirky love story. This is the third Katherine Center novel I have read and I have really enjoyed the author's more out of the box approach to a romantic storyline. Overall, while I predicted the outcome early on in the story, I enjoyed the characters so much that I was definitely invested in continuing to read so I could find out how they navigated all the twists and turns ahead of them.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me this book for review consideration.

I was THRILLED to read Hello Stranger in advance of its release, and let me tell you - it did not disappoint! I absolutely loved this story and devoured it in under 24 hours. Sadie, a struggling portrait artist, has a nonconvulsive seizure which leads to required brain surgery. While procedure goes well, it leaves her with face blindness. This means she can see everything, including face features, but her brain can't put the pieces together.

Over the next six weeks, Sadie tries to paint portraits, deals with her incredibly terrible stepsister, and ends up falling in love with *TWO* men. And let me tell you, Joe is the kindest and most swoonworthy cinnamon roll!

I found Sadie very relatable. She's struggling, but she doesn't want to accept help or reveal her face blindness in fear that people will pity her. This leads to super sweet scenes between her and Joe, and very funny miscommunications/mixups that while anticipated, resolve in very satisfying and entertaining scenes. I also must give a shout out to Peanut, Sadie's "Texas fluffball", and his hilarious eating habits. I loved their relationship and could very much relate as someone who is obsessed with their cat.

I highly recommend this book! I would have liked more spice between Sadie and Joe, but when Katherine Center is telling me a story, I don't miss it!

This book was a unique romance that had me guessing throughout the whole book! It had me trying to predict the ending and which guy she was going to choose. The banter between the characters was great! Sadiie's character development continued to deepen as the book went on. I enjoyed each character and the author took the time to develop each one. It was a fun story to read and had me guessing the entire time. I thought the neurovascular approach and Sadie's condition was very interesting and made me want to research more about it. I particularly appreciated the author's note when Center talks about how romance novels can bring anticipation. This book was so much more than a romance-it had plot and good character development individually and collectively.

This book had a little of everything I wanted in a cozy romance! Cute dogs, fun bff, evil stepsisters, hot vet men...etc.
I really enjoy how Katherine Center always makes the women in her stories fun, quirky, and lovable. It was an easy, fast paced read that I finished in one sitting.
I thought the "face blindness" piece was fascinating and that she did an amazing job weaving that into the story. The romance bit is very PG and cute - it perfectly highlighted the beginnings of something sweet.
My favorite was her Author's Note about Hope and Anticipation so definitely read alll the way to the end.
I definitely recommend this book!

✨Book Review✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Katherine Center is one of my top 3 favorite romance authors EVER. I loved The Bodyguard and The Things You Save in a Fire is one of my favorite romance novels ever. She will always be an auto read for me. In the past, I have loved her books because of the depth of characterization and detailed stories that are more than just romance. They’ve dealt with tough issues and I’ve appreciated how’s she’s written about those issues. For me, the romance genre can be tricky because typically, the romance *formula* is so predictable. I enjoy reading them because they can provide some relief from heavy books and they tend to be light and fun. Sometimes I just need that. But Katherine Center’s books have been so much more than that for me in the past and I love that about her books.

Unfortunately, Hello Strangers fit more into that formulaic, predictable romance pattern than other books of hers that I’ve read. It was a slow build romance, which I appreciated, there were other big issues going on (loss of a parent, absent dad, evil step family, medical issues from an accident, discovering your true self etc.), but none of it really went too deep. It tried to, but I just didn’t FEEL it like I have in her past books. I’ve also read another book with a main character dealing with prosopagnosia or face blindness (Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven) so I didn’t find it quite as unique as some other readers may have. I thought the evil step family was over the top and beyond ridiculous. I rolled my eyes multiple times with that storyline and ultimately I just never fell in love with the romance.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. Were my expectations too high? Probably. But it DID fit into that fun, light, easy to read romance book that I typically expect when picking up a book in this genre. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I think my problem is that I expect so much more when I pick up a Katherine Center book and I didn’t get what I was expecting. I think people will enjoy this book. Just go into it knowing what you are getting: a fun, light, easy to read, over the top, predictable romance novel.

Incredibly grateful to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advanced digital arc of this book. Hello stranger is out in July

I haven’t ever read a book quite like this and don’t think I will have the privilege of this newness again. Sure, it had typical elements of friendship and romance, but with a surprising dose of medical mystery, drama, and associating twists and turns. The elements of how grief from earlier in life affected the main character and those around her - and thus the plot - was interwoven seamlessly too.

God, I love Katherine Center. This book was an absolute delight. I fell in love with the characters, and the story kept me super interested. This romance involved one of my least-favorite tropes - miscommunication - but it did it really well. Absolutely recommend and can't wait to see what Center writes next!

I am so glad I was provided the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book! Katherine Center writes such captivating stories, it was hard for me to put down my kindle in order to get other things done. There was humor, there was romance, there were several life lessons. Five stars for sure!

This books flowed pretty well and was easy to follow, I attempted to finish the whole book but it really just was not for me so I only got about halfway. I will say that outside of the story not being my cup of tea, it does seem like a great book overall that I am sure a lot of others will love. Also, the cover art shown here on the book page is gorgeous (like the rest of this author's books).

A book I literally couldn't put down, this story educated me on a topic I had never heard about, it was witty, charming, fun, and exciting! I cried a couple times, laughed out loud many times, and rooted for the couple throughout!

My heart broke for Sadie and some of her very tough relationships, her history with her parents, her prosopagnosia, and her struggles to come to terms with what her life was becoming, but I was there cheering her on it my mind, encouraging her silently to keep going! To stay positive! To endure the storm cause surely relief was coming soon!

And then the authors note. I knew Katherine Center was wonderful but reading that excerpt made me jump for joy. She is spreading light and positivity in a beautiful way! I can't wait to read more of her books!!

#hellostranger #katherinecenter #romcom #prosopagnosia #faceblindness #educationalbooks #arc #sadieandjoe

"Hello Stranger" was such an interesting book! Sadie has brain surgery and realizes afterwards that she now has a condition that causes facial blindness - so she literally cannot recognize faces. Her whole world is turned upside down because she's a portrait artist for her career. Sadie learns that she can't always trust what she sees and must use her instincts to get her through her life. I really liked the twist at the end of the book - definitely made me rethink everything that I had just read. As this was such an interesting and new topic for me, I plowed through this story so fast. I love Katherine Center's books and this was no exception!

As someone who typically did not gravitate towards the romance genre, I found myself seeking comfort in stories with a happy ending during the pandemic. Katherine Center's novels quickly became a favorite, offering flawed but hopeful characters that were able to find love and light in their lives. So, it was no surprise that I was excited to pick up Hello Stranger after enjoying The Bodyguard and Things You Save in a Fire.

While some may dismiss romance novels as predictable, I found that the predictability was part of the charm. From the moment I picked up Hello Stranger, I knew what I was getting myself into, but I was still eager to go on the journey with the characters. There were moments where the plot seemed unrealistic, but I challenged myself to approach the story with an open mind and recognize that I didn't have all the knowledge of the main character's affliction to make judgments.

As I read, I found myself immersed in the story and rooting for the characters to find their happily ever after. Though at times I was anxious for the resolution, I enjoyed the experience of reading the book from start to finish. While I wouldn't say that Hello Stranger is my favorite Katherine Center novel (because really, it's hard to top the books I mentioned earlier), it's still a great read that offers hope and positivity in a time where we all could use a little more of it.

*Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy!